By Clara Horowitz Peterson
This past Thursday I spent the afternoon with Magda Lewy Boulet and Tony Kauke in Oakland, CA. We had a fantastic time teaching Piedmont Middle School’s cross country team drills, core, plyometrics and all about running at Piedmont High School’s Track. The kids were very engaged and so happy to have us join them. Magda and I had a terrific showing them what we do on a regular bases as professional runners. We both brought along our sons, Ramey (1.5 years-old) and Owen (5 years-old), who were our little helpers. (Well, Owen helped, Ramsey just made things a little more challenging due to a diaper change and a few temper tantrums).
There was also a question and answer time with Magda. The kids all couldn’t believe they were talking to a real life Olympian and the things they asked her were all awesome. Magda explained to them what it took to become an Olympian, what her experience was like in Beijing and what she does on a regular basis so she make it to the Olympics again in London.
While some of the kids in the crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves, it was clear that they didn’t have the same aspirations as Magda. Others however seemed like they would be the real deal one day. There was one little girl in particular (Maddie) who humbly asked to take a picture with Magda when she was done answering questions. You could tell also how seriously she took all of our advice because she too wanted to be an Olympian perhaps one day. Even her running outfit was a mini version of what Magda and I were wearing from her running watch to her split leg shorts.
It was fun seeing little girls like Maddie along with all of the others look up to us as professional athletes. They were so eager to listen to everything we had to say and were more than enthusiastic when it came to participating. Granted that we were making them do all sorts of serious sit ups and run lots of laps, you would have thought by the smiles on their faces that we were giving them candy and told them we were going to Six Flags. The entire day was a success and Magda, Tony and I all had a blast too.
Giving back to my sport is something that I have started doing recently. Using my accomplishments as a runner to share with younger aspiring athletes has brought me almost as much joy as winning races. Additionally watching Magda speak with her Olympic Status motivated me in a weird way to get to the next level. The way the kids admired her for her joyful personality and incredible accomplishments as a marathoner made me realize that professional runners truly do have the power to be positive influences in the lives of young children. Using this influence is something I only want to do more and more and the more I accomplish, the more influence I will have.
To conclude, working with the Cross-Country middle school runners at Piedmont was fantastic. From now on, every opportunity I get in the future to work with kids, I am going to take it without hesitation. It is cool to think that the better I get as a runner, the more of an impact I can make on the lives of others. Additionally, knowing that I am not out there working for just myself, but also from the next generation of athletes to follow, is something I feel proud of.